Nightmare in Winterland
by Soulpaw
Summary: What starts out as a usually murder case soon turns into a missing person case as one of the agents disappears.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Nightmare in Winterland  
  
Author: Talon/Soulpaw  
  
Rating: G-PG: 13?  
  
Category: Drama/Romance (Gibbs/Kate)  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me.  
  
Author's Notes: My first NCIS Fan Fiction, I done a few Clay Aiken Fan Fiction stories but other than that nothing, so it may be bad but give me time to get use to writing again.  
  
The ground was covered in at least ten inches of snow and it was still coming down. There was a light breeze blowing the snow down at an angle. As the sun peaked out from the clouds, the rays hit the snow coated ground gave a sparkle to the snow. Another winter day thought a hunter who had travel almost a mile away from his cabin, looking for the big buck. The snow crunched hunter his footsteps. His eyes soon turned to some snow that had a pink tint. He walked closer trying to figure out what it was, knowing that he had not killed anything or saw anyone else out here. As he got closer he saw something sticking out from the ground that scared him.  
  
It was pretty much quiet in the bullpen, the only light was coming in from the windows and a few of the computers that were left on and the screen savers were playing. It was rather early in the morning, almost four. Kate has stay after hours to finish up on some paper work she got behind on during the period she was sick. The left side of her faced tucked into her arm, having dozed off at the desk. Gibbs opened the main door and walked into the bullpen, holding two cups of fresh coffee. He was usually the first one here followed by Kate. He stopped in his place, a few feet away from Kate's desk.  
  
A soft smile came across his face. She looks so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep. Gibbs thought as his intense blue eyes stared at her. Walking to the side of her desk, he stood behind her after sitting both of the cups of coffee down on her desk. His hand reached out carefully and moved a stray piece of hair away from her face. A sheepish grin found its way across Gibbs face. Walking over to his desk, he found a fake spider in his desk. He turned the tiny toy on so it would start to crawl. Walking back over to Kate, standing behind her and dropped the toy on her face.  
  
She suddenly jumped awake, a scream escaping her mouth and she reaching up and rubbing her face with her hands. Gibbs tumbled back, laughing at her. "Damn Gibbs. I hate you." She turned around and smacked his arm. "Aww come on Kate, it was time to get up sleepy head. It's not my fault you feel asleep." Kate rubbed her eyes trying to get the sleep out of them. "What time is any ways?" He reached over and picked up one of the cups of coffee and held it out for her. "Coffee?" Looking back at the clock on the wall. "It's four ten." She yawned and took the cup. "I don't get up until four thirty."  
  
Picking up the other cup, he took a sip of the hot coffee. "Well that is what you get for staying her after I told you go home and get some sleep." Kate reached over and hit him in the arm again before she drank some of her coffee. "I got almost all the paper work done. I got a page or two left." She sat back down at her table and went back to work. "What no thank you for the wake and coffee?" She glanced up at him, "I didn't think I had to give one." Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and turned away. He loved to pick on her and glad she quit the secret service. He needed another female around her and someone to pick on besides Tony.  
  
Gibbs sat down at his own desk and logged into his computer. Before he knew it Tony was walking in. "So what is new today boss?" He asked as he took his coat off and laid it on the back of his chair. "Why are you so cheery today Tony? Did you have a good night with that plastic blow up doll?" Kate asked, joking around as she looked up from her paper work. "No." Tony added, glaring at her. "Kids, kids. No fighting." His words were cut off as his cell phone rang.  
  
"Gibbs here," He gave a nod of his head to the words the person over the phone said. "We will be there soon as we can." Hanging up the phone and looked over at Tony. "Get a flight up to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Gibbs had picked up his coat and Kate stood up looking at him. "What's going on?" As he slid the coat on, "Someone found a body of a Army Ranger in woods outside of Pittsburgh."  
  
1/?? 


	2. Chapter 2

It was close to two hours later Gibbs, Tony and Kate were walking through the deep snow. Luckily for them it wasn't snowing again but it was still rather chilly out. "God Gibbs, I just got over a cold and you have me walking through this crap. My legs are frozen and I can't stop shaking." Gibbs turned around and looked at Kate, feeling bad that she had to walk through this stuff. Not wanting to appear to soft, he just took off his trench coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "It's only a few more feet. Just be glad it's not snowing more." Kate stood in her place, shocked that Gibbs took off his coat for her. "Gibbs put take your coat back before you catch a cold." Gibbs shook his head. "You sound like my mother Kate."  
  
Tony looked back at the two with a sigh, "Would you to stop it and lets just get this over. So we can get back." Both Gibbs and Kate looked at Tony shocked, wondering why he wasn't trying to hit on the female officer that was showing them where the body was. "Tony don't you have something better to do then to tell us what to do." Gibbs said, looking over at the female officer. "Sorry Gibbs but I don't." Kate made an angry cat sound, which got Gibbs to chuckle. A few seconds later they were at the scene.  
  
"This is where the hunter found the body." Pointing to the hole in the snow which was starting to fill up. "We had our crime scene unit go through the area but we didn't find much." Kate wasn't really listening to the cop she was too busy looking around at the area. Seeing something blue in the snow she started to walk over to it. Tony and Gibbs where too busy listening to the cop and trying to figure out how someone could have got a body out here in the middle of the woods without being spotted by any hunters.  
  
Kate had made her way over to the blue object and kneeled down. "Gibbs come over here." Gibbs turned his head looking over at wondering what she was doing that far away from them. "What do you have Kate?" He asked as he walked closer to her. "I'm not sure yet, looks like a cover." Gibbs pulled out a digital camera and took a shot of the cover barely sticking out from the snow. "What are you waiting for, go ahead take it out." Kate glared up at Gibbs. She picked the cover up and held it up to him. "Looks like an airforce cover." Gibbs took another shot of the cover. "The word airforce doesn't give that away?" She reached over and hit him in the leg, "No."  
  
She pushed herself up from the snow, "Now I am cold and wet." Gibbs gave her a gently pushed and she tumbled back down in to the snow. "I'm going to kill you." Kate quickly got up from the ground and gave chase, trying to catch up to Gibbs. The female police officer looked over at Tony the only one who was really working on this. "Are they always like that?" She asked him. Tony looked up and shook his head. "Not really, usually Gibbs is more serious. I don't know what has got into them." Tony truly puzzled by their behavior, knowing he should wait until later to ask about it.  
  
Kate tackled Gibbs and they went sliding a little as he hit the snow. "Damn Kate, you ever try out for a football team?" He winced as she pulled back his hand and pressed her finger into a pressure point. "Say uncle and I will let go." He shook his head. "Never" Tony walked over to the two, glaring down at him. "You two kids done? Cause if you are we can head back to our place." Both of them looked up at him, wondering why he was acting so different. But he knew something was up between them and he was feeling a bit jealous of Gibbs, having a crush on Kate. Though he was mainly angry at the two because they made NCIS look like it was made of big kids in front of police officer.  
  
Moments later they were back at their place. Kate had changed her clothes and told them she was going to take a nap. Tony walked over to Gibbs after getting something to drink. "What is up with you Gibbs? Why are you acting so childish?" Gibbs looked up from the paper work. "Is against the law for me to act like a child?" Tony pulled out a chair and sat down, looking a Gibbs. "No, your suppose to be my boss and not acting like a child. You made us look bad today with that stunt you pulled with Kate." Gibbs pushed himself up, losing his cool with Tony. "Look, she needed some cheering up and I was doing that." Tony shook his head. "There is more than that going on. Gibbs, what ever happened to you saying that relationships between agents don't work."  
  
"You know what Tony, just because you believe something is going on between me and Kate. You just think there is something but you couldn't be farther from the truth because nothing is going on. Kate needed to relax some. Next time you start to act like you're the one in charge and telling me what to do, you will find yourself on another team." Tony stood up as Gibbs started to walk away. "You know that I am right Gibbs or you would not be walking away.  
  
Gibbs entered his room and laid down on his back on the bed, his arms rested on his chest. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling, knowing Tony was right. He had feelings for Kate but was afraid of showing them knowing it would never work and he didn't want to hurt Kate. Hating times like this torn between two things. Little did he know that Kate was in her room trying to decide what to do over the same issue torn between her love of Gibbs and wanting to keep her job. 


	3. Chapter 3

Little did the NCIS team know that they were being watched by the same person they were looking for who had killed the Army Ranger, he was sitting outside where the agents where staying. Trying to figure more out about this team, wanting to know their every little mood. Even though this person knew the team, they wanted to know more and cause one of the agents a lot of pain because that certain agent caused them to lose someone very important.  
  
Gibbs was the first awake and had already finished getting ready. He sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee. He was looking over what the police had found. Waiting for Ducky's report on what had killed the Ranger, wondering if Tony had found out the Major's name. Gibbs turned his head to look down the hallway when he heard someone's door open. Seeing Kate walk out, rubbing her eyes. "You look nice Kate." She looked up at her, giving a slight glare. "Shut up Gibbs."  
  
She walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. Sitting down in it, she looked at him. Wondering what he has found out about this case. "How are things going?" She turned her head as she sneezed, not feeling that well again. "Thanks for getting me sick again Gibbs." He smiled, "Your quite welcome. Go rest if you are not feeling well." She shook her head. "I could not if I wanted to. So what's up?" Gibbs flipped another page of the report the police had given him. "Well I am waiting for Ducky to report in with what killed our Major. Tony is looking for id of the Major. Abbey is running some test on the cap we found. I am hoping that the hat belong to who ever put the Major out there and that there is some DNA on it."  
  
Kate gave a nod of her head. "Anything I can do?" Trying to avoid talking about what she over heard last night, not wanting to increase the problem. "Not at the moment, go get ready I want to go talk to the witness soon." She pushed herself up from the chair then pushed into the table. "Not waiting for Tony to get up?" Gibbs looked up from the paper work. "He went to the nearest army base to see if anyone is missing a major." Kate raised a brow, wondering how they managed to get up before her. "What time is?" Gibbs looked down at his watch, "Almost noon." Kate stood there a bit shocked she slept in that late. "I must be out of it, I never sleep in that late." She spoke as she went back to her room.  
  
The person in the car opened a bag of chips they had there, knowing that it would take away before they could get some real food. Wishing they had some way to listen in on the group. They ate a handful of chips before picking up a notebook and started to finish their final plan. A smirk came from them as they thought about how much fun this was going to be.  
  
Almost twenty minutes later Kate reappeared from the bathroom, having finished getting dressed and getting a show. "About time Kate, why does it take you women so long just to get a show." If she were close enough to Gibbs she would have hit him in the side. "To avoid spending time with you Gibbs. We can only stand being around you for so long." Though she did not feel that way, she wanted to spend so much time in his arms, curled up to his body. "Ouch, I am so hurt." Gibbs stood up and walked over to where they had hung their coats. He picked hers up and handed it to her. "No time for breakfast?" She asked as she put her coat on.  
  
"I was going to get something on the way." Gibbs answered her as he slid his jacket on. "Just not anything that you order through a clown's head." Gibbs grinned. "Someone afraid of the clowns?" He opened the door and walked out, waiting for her. "No, just don't trust them to make my breakfast." She told him as she shut the door behind her. They made their way out of the hotel and toward the car. Gibbs unlocked the passenger door for her, and Kate slid into the car. He shut the door behind her. She looked over at him. Thinking he was quite the gentleman, it had been a while since anyone had done that for but now had her wondering how much of a gentleman he was.  
  
The person in the car had pick up the digtal camrara and started to take pictures of Gibbs and Kate. Chuckling when he opened the door for her, thinking he was such an idiot and thinking Kate was such a slut. Wondering why she won't just take him then and there. Knowing they would both like it and would not try to make the other stop. Now they waited for the two agents to pull out so they could follow, wondering where they were heading. 


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs and Kate stood outside the witness's cabin waiting for him to open the door. "I wonder if he is even there." Kate said after they had been waiting roughly five minutes.  
  
Gibbs was about to knock again when his cell phone rang. Reaching into his coat pocket, he picked it up. "Gibbs, here" He turned away from Kate, allowing her to knock the door again.  
  
On the other end of the phone was Abby, she had finished up with the hat that the team had found. "Gibbs, that hat wasn't out there long enough to go with the time line of the body. Plus I found some fibers and I am trying to find out what type they are."  
  
"All right, let me know when you finish up with the fibers." Gibbs hung up his cell phone and know sooner then he did it rang again. Answering the phone again, this time it was Tony.  
  
"Look Gibbs I am sorry about losing my cool with you. Just some things have been going on with my life and I was rather tired last night. I got the id of our Army Ranger. Funny thing though is that he wasn't really an Army Ranger. He was a Navel officer who was dishonorably discharged last week."  
  
Gibbs turned back around facing Kate, a slightly puzzled look on his face. "So your telling me that someone dressed up this Navel officer to make him look like a Ranger?" Kate looked over at Gibbs, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"I don't know Gibbs. I am reading over his file at the moment. By the way his name was Lt. Scott Walsh. From what I read so far, his father was a Army Ranger for thirteen years." Tony flipped to the next page.  
  
"Call me back when you find out more." Gibbs told Tony before hanging the phone up. Gibbs tucked the phone back into his pocket then looked over at Kate.  
  
"That was Tony and Abby. It appears that someone placed that hat there for us to find or someone lost it while they were looking for their next big buck. Also that the major wasn't a major but a Lt. And wasn't in the Army but in the Navy."  
  
"Do we have a name yet Gibbs?" Kate asked, trying to figure out why the Navy officer was dressed as if he was in the army.  
  
"Lt. Scott Walsh." Gibbs looked back over at Kate, seeing the look in her eyes, he knew that she knew this person. "You know this person Kate?"  
  
She gave a nod of her head. "Use to leave next door to me in my hometown. His father was a retired Army Ranger he always wanted his son to go into the army. He was rather abusive and gave me this creepy feeling every time he looked at me. Used to force his son to dress as if he was in the Army and was to act like he was. If he refused, he would be the kid."  
  
"Well Kate, I think I know why he was dressed in that uniform." Gibbs said, moving to knock on the door again for the last time. "What if he went back to visit his father, not wanting to get beat for not joining the Army and he goes to one of those supply stores. Buys an Army Rangers uniform, heads home to see his father. The Lt. Walsh does something to tick his father off, the father goes too far and tosses the body out here."  
  
Kate gave a nod her head, "Not bad Gibbs. But wouldn't the father already know that his son wasn't in the Army? Because if the father was so intent on his son being in the Army, wouldn't he want to see his son when he made it out of boot camp?"  
  
"Good point, I am sure this will smooth out once when figure out more." Gibbs gave the door a push to make sure that it wasn't locked. The door opened slightly from his push. "Shall we go in?"  
  
Kate gave a nod her head and waited for him to push the door open more and to go in first. Once Gibbs was into the cabin she entered. Both stood in front of the door looking around at the place. It looked like they were not going to talk that chat with their witness.  
  
There were stuff tossed and turned through out the cabin to make it looked like someone broke into the place. But that was far from the truth, the hunters body laid behind the sofa in his own pool of blood. In the middle of the floor laid Lt. Walsh's wallet.  
  
"Looks like our witness won't be talking any time soon." Gibbs moved away from the door, to get a better look at the wallet.  
  
"No really Gibbs. Do you think someone did this to make sure he wouldn't talk? I will call Ducky up and tell him we need him up here and police to secure the scene until Ducky is up here."  
  
"I bet the hunter found the wallet and thought he use some of Lt. Walsh's credit cards. It's easy to tell that, I doubt this guy had the money to buy a new plasma TV and a few more guns."  
  
Kate walked outside and took out her cell phone. That was when she noticed a snowmobile sitting on top of the hill, facing the cabin. "Gibbs, I think you should see this." Her eyes watching the man on top of the snowmobile.  
  
The person on the snowmobile smiled coldly knowing that they had just found his latest piece of work. The person would have turned around and left but they wanted Gibbs to see them and see what he would do. Waiting for night to come so they could make their move. 


End file.
